Artist : Battle of the Future Buddhas
Album : Urban Legends
Released: 2013
Label: Schlabbaduerst Rekkords
Genre: Psychedelic trance,goa,dark,forest,experimental,technoid
1. AM I DEAD? (9:29)
2. FOREVER BEFORE (9:42)
3. WE HAVE TO SEE (10:52)
4. WE HAVE TO KNOW (9:45)
5. BODYHIT (9:02)
6. TRANSFORMATOR (9:11)
7. AFTER DEATH (9:25)
8. IDIOTI (11:07)
Apparently the forest legends from Uppsala strike again, this time with a fresh new album. It seems these guys always hit at the least expected time. Not many expected Digging Mud to be released in 2011, and not many expected a new Battle of The Future Buddhas album release in 2013, along with couple of more upcoming Schlabbaduerst Rekkords compilations (brown,orange,pink) that not many believed we would come to see.
For those unaware of the Battle of the Future Buddhas guys, their sound has nothing to do with the modern psytrance sound or mentality (production-wise or music-wise even). Forget the over-polished productions, which of course does not imply the production is bad or careless. Quite the opposite, but expect nothing but raw,harsh sounds, well-crafted patterns and intense atmospheres. In terms of genres, it's hard to define the Battle of the Future Buddhas' (or the Schlabbaduerst Rekkords') nsound. Over the years it has been goa'ish or sometimes just goa trance, dark (anyhow they are amongts the pioneers of the early dark psychedelic trance sound), forest, technoid, even almost post-industrial psytrance (Schlabbaduerst 3 and Schlabbaduerst 7).
This album has a bit from the whole spectrum. From my perspective, there are strong resemblances to Demonoizer, Twin Sharkfins, Schlabbaduerst 3,4 and 7, and maybe a little bit from D-Dave's technoid solo album "Pleading Insanity" as well.Demonoizer's stomping dark psychedelic trance , Twin sharkfins' fuzzy psychedelic goa, Schlabb 03's & Schlabb 07's post-industrial dystopia and last but not least, Schlabb 04's (the more overlooked Schlabbadurest Rekkords compilation) hypnotic background trance are some descriptors of this music trip. Still, everything blends perfect together and the final result is something unique, with its own character. Old schlabheads will notice several familiar patterns reworked and vibes revised, with many twists and pinches of freshness and new tastes. Urban Legends is oldskool but still innovative, almost 20 years after, it's a flashback within a new trip.
This is a journey from dark to light (and not the other way round), a journey full of twisting and evolving morphologies, a set of smaller stories that flow and interact with each other to make the bigger picture.
1. AM I DEAD? (9:29)
A track that starts very harsh and dissonant, with lots of Demonoizer and Schlabbaduerst 7 vibes.
Dark, hypnotic, technoid, noisy, fuzzy and experiMental. Very powerful and immersive for an intro track. Welcome to the dungeons!
2. FOREVER BEFORE (9:42)
Already swimming in the dark waters, what's next? The Schlabbaduerst kind of goa. This is dark & goa'ish, elements of Twin Sharkfins can be tasted. Then familiar Demonoizer vibes get in the play as well ( probably it's mostly the kick&bass that brings this familiar Demonoizer-like feel) . Long assemblies of melodies lead us to Mr. Fantastic revised (although not intentionally according to D-Dave). This is Mr. Fantastic's twisted and deranged alter ego.
3. WE HAVE TO SEE (10:52)
4. WE HAVE TO KNOW (9:45)
WE HAVE TO KNOW is in one way the second part of WE HAVE TO SEE, as the titles imply. By the way do track titles 3 or 4 spring anything to mind? Hellraiser, Velvet Acid Christ? Darkness changed its texture a bit and now we are introduced to industrial hell'ish vibes. The vibrations here resemble Schlabbaduerst Rekkords 3 quite enough, although noticably more anthemic at parts.
5. BODYHIT (9:02)
Leaving the dungeons behind, BODYHIT sounds like dark & techy goa, sharing similiarities with the style of Toï Doï – Technologic. You can definitely still sense darkness although there's not so much of the hell'ish atmosphere of the previous tracks. THis is the most danceble track so far. We are starting to fly towards the Space.
6. TRANSFORMATOR (9:11)
TRANSFORMATOR also sounds like dark & techy goa, and it's spacey as well but closer to Pigs in Space than Toi Doi. However as the anthem layers start to sing their story this track transforms to unique mindboggling, hazy trancedance. The beats are very stomp-inducing and bouncing, urging the body to move, but the anthemic fuzzy melodies swirl the mind in a relaxing way. Mind in silence, body in action.
7. AFTER DEATH (I)
We are now beginning to feel the light. AFTER DEATH resembles Twin Sharkfins quite enough. This sounds much more chilly compared to the rest of the album so far and is also a hint that our journey is close to its end.
8. IDIOTI (11:07)
Final track! IDIOTI is even more cheerful,chilly and joyful. A warm "Thank you, please com again. Bye!".
All in all this is the most polymorphic and well-crafted Battle of the Future Buddhas album. Very "mature" and oldschool yet very innovative at the same time, with awesome integration of many different ideas and modules into a concrete album. 78 minutes of pure raw harsh psychedelia and fuzzy melodic dissonance.
Rating : 10/10
That's all mates. If you want to order/buy the album (expected official release date next week) contact battlebuddhas@hotmail.com
(Also, you can buy all schlabb releases at Schlabbaduerst Bandcamp now as well. In the past they were only available in CD/CD-R from times to times. )
The legends of psytrance return in the end of 2015 with a new album. In accordance to the album's title, this album has elements of almost everything they have released so far.So expect to listen almost everything : goa'ish,techy,psychedelic,dissonant,experimental,noisy,dark.Of course do not expect to find overpolished productions of tin psytrance that lack substance.One couldn't tell that the albums is released in 2015 just by listening to it, and that's a good thing.In comparison with their previous releases I would say this album mostly resembles Demonoizer combined with Schlabbaduerst Rekkords compilations 1,3 and 7,and maybe some of the more spacey/cyber/tech psytrance tracks of Urban Legends,their most recent album.This album also has a storytelling concept for you there to interpret.For me it's a trip from the dungeons to outer space. Track by track description follows: 01 "ItŽs Only Disko" The intro track is groovy,hypnotic and disonnant, the kind of music that warms up the party before the heavy stompers. 02 "I Don't Know" This track is dark and spooky, progressing from the initial groovy hypnotic disonance of "ItŽs Only Disko" to some evil,devilish post-industrial psytrance of Schlabb 3 and/or 7.Things start to get real harsh. 03 "Lacking it All - into the Valley of the Shadow of Death" Entrancing noises and raw psychedelic effects combined with some groovy, dancey kick and snares make this track the most danceable so far in the album. The (dark) goa'ish anthems that follow later transform this track into a unique blend of trippy sounds,dark atmospheres and dancing beats. 04 "Time" This is one of the most 'minimal' track so far, continuing in the noisy atmospheric darkness concept of the album although a tad less overloaded."Time" acts as a bridge in this story, starting the transition from the dungeons to the spacey cybertechy landscapes.Of course, do not even think that the darkness will completely go away, it just becomes a bit toned down. 05 "True Hope" Things start to become more digital and techy. Pinches of hope appear in the background, the effects become slightly less harsh and the atmospheres more extraterrestrial.Are we getting out of the dungeon? 06 "The Cupboard" Spacey tech trance, laser sounds and battle of the future buddhas trademark anthems.Preparing to take off. 07 "Consciousness" The cyber/techy atmosphere is still there, but now there are some more distinct goa elements leading the track.There is something from "Twin Sharkfins" here. We are no longer under or on the ground. Some light can be seen. 08 "Faith" We are still in goa realms.In good faith, everything starts to slowly calm and clear down back to normal. 09 "The Infinite Process" The outro track is a bit more downtempo,but even more goa'ish, most likely the most characteristic goa sounds in the whole album.An oldschool ending of an intense story. Rating: 9/10 Samples & Buying here